Asa barrett



- Asn BARRETT, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, Assiettes To H 'IM'snLn Aufn'eompaetly -foldedtogether.

'leiten tetto. 'sttnt ffice,

Letters .Patent No. 76,697, dated April 1.4, 1853.

OYSTERFEAKE.

ToALL WHM ITAMAAY conocen:

Be it known that I, ASA BARRETT, ofthe city and county of Baltimore, andState of Mhryland, have 'inventedl a new and improved Oyster-Rake; and Ido hereby d'eclnre that the lfollowing is j a full, clear, and

exact description 'of' the -cons'tiiuction'and operatien'f the' sortie,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a partof thisspeciication,'in'which- Figure 1 is aperspetive view'. v Figure 2 is a'side elevation, a. portion of one of the rake-headsbeingbroken away, toshow the interh This invention is a simple and easily-operated device,bypvbich oysters can be fished up from great deptnfs.

In the drnwngs, A A represent two rake-heads, hinged 'together alongtheir upper edge, und lprovided withteeth a'ayef the form, and arrangedin the manner shown in the draudngs. B is a heavy bar,'extending betweenthe heads AA, being supported Aby ears b'b, -at either end ofthe rake.

The lobject of the bar is to furnish s u'iiicient weight to overcometb'e force of' the spring S, which is coiied around the bnl', 01 appliedin any other suitable manner, and so attached to the heads, on.eitherside of it, esv

to press 'their lower edges apart, and open the rake, when noteounteracterl by the Weightedl bar'.

C C are two crossed r'ods or bars, extending upwnrds from ythe two rale-heads, and united at their top oy 'means of two rods :D` D; hinged tothem, and a link, E, whichconnects the two rods D D, as shown-in iig. 1.From the link'E, e. chainor cord, F, extends up to the vessel, passingover a pulley, G, in the yard-arm, or

.in scrane, II. The rodsD aud'C :any be connected by ak'nuekle-join't,dd, if desired, so that theyvezm' bg The operation ofthis1 device is as i'ollowsi When lowered upon the oyster-bed,the'forceofvthe springs s s and the weight of the arms C C cause theteeth "to spread apart, assuming the position showni in fig. 1, Butwhen, by means of the cord or chain,` the link E is drawn up, the upperends of thearms are drawny togetberk closing the teeth together, andintercepting the oysters between them. The-weight of the barBidrawrsidown 'so heavily as to bring the teeth closely together, theirends interlocking, sorthat none of the oysters can escape. The devicecnnbe lowered to any depth-where it is possible to find oysters,opera-ting fjust as easily and perfectly in deep' soundings as wherethe'water is shoaL It is cheap, simple in construction, and but littleliable to get out of repair. i

Having-thus described my' invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by :Letters Patent, is The instrument above described, consistingofi the rake-heads A A, teeth a a, spring S, and. weight B, incombination with the crossed rods or arms C O, and the connecting-rods DD, and link E, substantially as and for the purposefspeoied.

ASA BARRETCILQ Witnesses:

T. B. Galeries, J. M. SNQWDEN.

